THE PRINCESS BRIDE

Someone once said, Christianity begins where religion ends, with the resurrection. I like to put it this way; Roses are reddish, violets are bluish, if it weren’t for Easter we’d all be Jewish. Not even close to being true… but so much fun to say. Easter really is the most important date in the Christian calendar. Jesus put it all on the line with the resurrection. The only sign I give you is the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. In otherwise Jesus said He was going to validate everything he said by rising from the dead. If He hadn’t risen the gig was up. But He is risen, He is risen indeed!

If you are planning a trip to Winnipeg any time soon you should try to come for Easter. We pull out all the stops and do it a little different than any one else… on the planet. Good Friday is a traditional service focused around the cross and is always very powerful. Easter morning on the other hand is a celebration that, well… you have to see it to appreciate it. It is six months in preparation with elaborate sets, customs, lights and special effects. We usually take some pop culture reference and use it to present the resurrection story. Last year we did Robin of the Hood which was the contemporary version of the story set in the inner city to the sound of Michael Jackson music. The year before it was Pirates of the Galilean where Captain Jack Saviour and his band of pirates squared off against the evil Captain Barbosa (played by yours truly). The year before that it was the USS Easterprise and I was Capatin James T Kirk. Here’s the television ad we are running for this year. It gives you a pretty good idea.

Those who criticize our efforts as being sacrilegious are usually those who have never been here to see them first hand. Although it is all kinds of fun, it may be the most Christ honoring service we do all year because it always, always points to the amazing work of the cross. It is not unusual for us to get 1,000 first time visitors. People who would otherwise never hear the gospel but come because they love the movie or the particular music that we are featuring that year. When we did the Startrek theme we actually had Trekkies show up in costume for the service. We had one 15 year old dressed as Captain Picard that sat on the bridge of the Easterprise for an hour after the service. We had to ask him to go home. I can’t remember any real Pirates showing up when we did that theme.

This year as shown in the video clip we are doing The Princess Bride. It is a fabulous story that was made into a movie by Rob Reiner and for some is a bit of a modern classic. In our family we have watched it again and again. It is family friendly and very funny. The script adapted itself beautifully to the Easter story and if there is any way you can get to Winnipeg this coming weekend, you will not be disappointed. I will follow up the play with the message The Princess Bride of Christ.